The locality is named after George Harris (1831–1891), a Brisbane businessman and Member of the Queensland Legislative Council.

[2] Originally in the Shire of Drayton, the locality was first opened as the Harristown Estate in 1902.

[8][9][10] The official opening on Saturday 30 September 1911 was performed by the acting Secretary for Education Kenneth Grant, by which time the enrolment had already increased to 84 students.

Concordia Lutheran College opened on 17 February 1946 in the (now heritage-listed) house Redlands on a 25-acre (10 ha) site in Stephens Street with 27 students (23 of them being boarders).

In 1964 a primary school campus opened nearby in Warwick Street with an initial 64 students.

[8][12][13] St Anthony's Catholic Primary School was established in 1954 by the Presentation Sisters.

The foundation stone was laid on 21 November 1954, which is a significant day for the sisters as their order celebrates the Feast of the Presentation of Mary in the Temple on 21 November each year.